1. Technical Field
The following description relates to one or more techniques for supplying development agent to an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
An image forming apparatus has been known, which includes an electrostatic latent image holding body (a photoconductive drum), a developer holding body (a development roller), and an electric-field developer transfer unit.
The developer holding body is disposed to face the electrostatic latent image holding body in a predetermined development area. The developer holding body has a developer holding surface configured to hold and carry charged development agent.
The electric-field developer transfer unit is disposed upstream relative to the development area in a moving direction of the developer holding surface (i.e., in a rotational direction of the development roller) so as to face the developer holding surface across a predetermined distance. The electric-field developer transfer unit is provided with a plurality of transfer electrodes. Further, the electric-field developer transfer unit is configured to transfer the development agent with a traveling-wave electric field that is generated when a transfer bias (including a multi-phase alternating-current (AC) voltage) is applied to each of the plurality of transfer electrodes.
In this configuration, the development agent transferred by the traveling-wave electric field adheres onto the developer holding surface in a position where the electric-field transfer unit and the developer holding surface face each other. Thereby, the development agent is held and carried on the developer holding surface.
When the developer holding surface moves, the development agent held on the developer holding surface reaches the development area and is supplied to develop the electrostatic latent image. Thereby, the development agent adheres onto an electrostatic latent image holding surface, which is a circumferential surface of the electrostatic latent image holding body, so as to be arranged in a shape of an image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image. In other words, an image is formed with the development agent on the electrostatic latent image holding surface.